Simple Art, Super Ending

You finish what you started.  That was instilled in me by my parents, coaches and teachers.  Well, here's the photo finish and happy ending.

Breanna Richard (left) with Super Bowl Host Committee Communications Director Dianna Boyce

A month ago I walked into Dianna's Boyce's booth at Super Bowl 46 Headquarters in the JP Marriott hotel in downtown Indianapolis.  Dianna is the Super Bowl Host Committee's Communications Director.   I had Breanna's colorful welcome card in my hands, and a copy of Follow the Dog Home under my arm.

When you're an author, you should always have a copy of your book with you, or in the car.  You just never know who you're going to meet, and when you might want to give one as a gift.  After finding Breanna's card in my hotel room after a very long day, I just had to give one to her.

I wanted to say thank you to her, and return the gift of art, with the gift of reading.  I naively thought there might be a ballroom full of Indiana school kids coloring away, making tokens of kindness to be left in Super Bowl visitors' hotel rooms.

Not exactly.  The 36,000 cards were culled and mailed in from all 92 state counties.  The cards weren't marked, so there was really no easy way to track where they came from.  I asked Dianna, "If I can find Breanna my own, would you deliver the book to my Super Bowl Super Kid?"

"Yes," she said.

So I left the book with Dianna, and used my reporter's instincts.  More than 70 phone calls, almost as many emails, dozens of sources, and thousands of eyeballs because of Stacia Matthews and WRTV 6, here we are four weeks later.  We finished what we started all right.  I discovered, Dianna delivered.  Breanna looks as bubbly in real life (below),  as she did in her colored self portrait (above).  One simple act of kindness led to another.  And that makes for a super ending.